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Climate think tank 'Climate Trends' in association with 'Climate.com' released 'EV Dashboard' today as the penetration of electric vehicles (EV) in the country's vehicle market is continuously increasing.
Aarti Khosla, Director of Climate Trends, issued this statement: "The government utilizes the 'Vahan' portal to collect real-time data on electric vehicle sales, and this data is subsequently presented in a user-friendly manner through this distinctive dashboard." Users can easily conduct quick analyses and research on various aspects."
India explores consumer-friendly EV policies
Experts believe that India has a lot of scope to make EV policies more consumer-friendly at the national and state levels and to implement a regulatory action plan in this regard. To understand the effectiveness of the electric vehicle policies implemented in the country and the need for EV sales analysis and other aspects, they organized a webinar.
"Akhilesh Magal, Director, Climate.com, said that the EV Dashboard has focused on finding the loopholes in the field of electric mobility. We have attempted to provide a platform to the users through this dashboard where they can effectively express their views. However, this is only the first version of the dashboard. We will make efforts to improve it in the future. This dashboard is not limited to researchers and scholars; it is also for journalists who want to write an article on it. Therefore, we have ensured that the data entered on the dashboard is absolutely accurate. Our aim is also to maintain the public narrative as public opinion plays a vital role in any kind of transformation."
Ankit Bhatt of Climate Dot said, "I am explaining in detail about the electric vehicle dashboard. This dashboard first explains about the market of electric vehicles in India. We divide these vehicles into four categories, which mainly include two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers and buses. Additionally, it provides state-wise details of the sale of electric vehicles."
States embrace electric mobility challenges
Every state of the country is presenting a challenge to move ahead in electric mobility, and their intention is evident from the presence of more than one policy regarding electric mobility. Uttar Pradesh appears to be at the forefront of the sale of electric vehicles, but three-wheelers constitute a major part of the electric vehicles sold in this state.
Bhatt, "The electric vehicle policy of Uttar Pradesh came in the year 2022, but the sales of electric three wheelers in the state had started increasing even before that, which he found interesting. Uttar Pradesh has the highest sales of three wheelers, with Maharashtra and Karnataka being the other two leading states in terms of sales of electric vehicles".
He further added, While Uttar Pradesh has the largest number of electric vehicles in shared mobility, Maharashtra and Karnataka boast the largest number of private electric vehicle buyers. The vision of making the state an electric mobility capital forms the basis of Delhi's electric vehicle policy. These states lead the way in terms of purchasing electric buses, leaving others far behind.
NITI Aayog aims for 30% EVs by 2030
Bhatt stated, 'NITI Aayog aims to raise electric vehicle market share to 30% across all vehicle segments by 2030.' Given the growing consumer interest in electric vehicles and the proactive state-level electric vehicle policies, achieving the 2030 target seems highly likely."
During the webinar, electric mobility expert Narayan Kumar emphasized the importance of focusing on comprehensive EV policies that align with users' interests. He emphasized the importance of strong regulations at both the national and state levels to promote electric vehicles. States should develop specific policies and action plans tailored to their unique situations, taking into account the variations between them. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on strong regulatory action plans to ensure sustainable implementation.
“We should have a strong regulatory framework when it comes to charging infrastructure or the adoption of electric vehicles,” he said. “Investors should also have confidence in the security of their investments, so we must pay a lot of attention to our financial mechanism. Currently, the interest rate for purchasing electric vehicles in instalments is sometimes very high. We need to bring maximum uniformity in this regard."
Electric vehicle sales in Uttar Pradesh are continuously recording double digits, and the dashboard of Climate Trends and Climate.org reports that only six states in India namely Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Rajasthan have the highest sales of electric vehicles in the country, contributing to 60% of sales. The remaining 40% originates from other states and union territories of the country. All other states, except Karnataka, have offered demand-side incentives for electric vehicles.
Policies impact Electric vehicle sales
Shikha Rukadia, researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation, highlighted how policies and programmes can increase sales of electric vehicles. She stated, 'Only a handful of states in the country have limited penetration of electric vehicles.'" We are observing that two-wheelers account for 80% of the growth. The government has implemented policies periodically to promote electric vehicles, but they have also experienced fluctuations. Multiple times has reduced the subsidy amount."
He said, “State governments definitely play a very important role in making electric vehicle technology accessible to the common people, referring to some practical aspects related to the purchase of electric vehicles. In the case of two-wheelers, the TCO case is already attractive, especially given the high-cost differential between petrol and electric vehicles, but the fact is that consumers do not decide to buy a vehicle based on TCO. The price of the vehicle plays a very important role, so upfront pricing plays an important role. In such a situation, the states will have to play a role."
Electric mobility expert Saurabh Kumar stated, "We anticipate the public transit sector transforming into a renewable energy sector in the near future, with the conversion of 2 lakh diesel buses into electric buses. India witnessed the sale of the same number of electric vehicles in August this year as it did for the entire previous year." About five crore people travel daily through public transport."
Government promotes electric mobility effectively
The government is actively promoting electric mobility. If we observe, electric mobility was relatively unknown to most people before 2017. However, since then, the government's effective policies to promote electric vehicles have significantly boosted their popularity. The government has taken some steps, but there's certainly more work to be done. This sector holds boundless potential, given the ecosystem being developed in the country.
India is now experiencing a growing electric mobility ecosystem. Electric vehicle (EV) registrations experienced a massive 168% growth in 2021 compared to 2020. The Indian government is taking various measures to reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels and make EVs the primary alternative to internal combustion engines (ICE). However, there is still a lot of work to be done to achieve widespread e-mobility adoption in the country.
The incentives offered by the Central and many state governments, which act as a booster for EV startups, drive the promotion of EVs. Companies are also raising funds to enhance R&D, technology integration, testing and expansion. There are other factors promoting investment as well. Like- possibility of 100% ownership through FDI, increasing awareness about sustainable mobility etc.
A supportive policy environment is attracting more investment and growth of the EV market. The second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and EV (FAME-2) scheme in India is significantly increasing investment in the EV sector.
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